
What happens when your stress reliever is your horse, but it has become one of the greatest weights on your shoulders? For the majority of us, who are not equine professionals, our involvement with horses is a choice (I use that word cautiously). We can choose to make it be whatever we want it to be- financial concerns not- withstanding. Many of us feel that we have to ride X number of times a week or our horse will---- what? Revert back to being an unbroken 2 yr. old? Unlikely. I understand that consistency is important but at what cost? Are your expectations for yourself and your animal too rigid? Are you trying to "present the perfect creation"? When our animals become another thing on the to do list - who is benefitting? Give yourself a break and, maybe, discover that just spending time with your horse, without an agenda, can bring calm to the chaos. You may find that you accomplish much more in 3X a week of focused work than in 5-6X a week of harried attendance. You have the power to restore it to the simple pleasure that it once was. Our horses are one of the few things in this world that have absolutely no expectations of us- take advantage of that and just ENJOY!
Have a Smart Day!!
Mary